How do you live when your income falls at or below the poverty line? With the high costs of basic normal living, the majority of your income goes towards housing leaving little left over for food and other needs. This cycle can be endless if there is no way to break the chain of poverty! At St. Mary's Residence, a women can find the opportunity to better her living condition as she works to improve her quality of life.

St. Mary's Residence provides a safe comfortable housing option for single, working women with limited incomes. The Residence, founded in 1905, was established as a place where young girls arriving from Ireland could find shelter. Today, it continues this tradition by supporting women from the local metropolitan region as well as those who have come to the United States from such faraway places as Latin America, Eastern Europe and the Far East.

St. Mary's serves as a safe haven for approximately 38 residents, at any given time, as they work to improve their language and job skills. Each woman has her own private room as well as use of communal living areas. Breakfast and dinner are served daily in a spacious dining room. Admittance is based upon need, employment status and a first-come-first-serve basis. Most women stay at St. Mary's Residence an average of one to two years.

As a program of the York Street Project, St. Mary's Residence helps women of diverse backgrounds establish themselves by alleviating the concern of high cost housing and providing a sense of security. For more information and availability please contact Sr. Harriet Hamilton, csjp, Director of St. Mary's Residence at (201) 432-6289. To make in-kind program donations follow this link.